Nearly three weeks after twin earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck La Guaira, northern Venezuela, on June 24, the official death toll has surpassed 5,000. Thousands of families are still searching for missing relatives amid the ruins.

Ivan Chino, a local resident, returns to the collapsed apartment building every morning, digging through shattered concrete with shovels and pickaxes. He lost seven family members: his parents, grandson, two nieces, and other relatives. His wife and children survived.

“Nothing will stop us,” Chino said. “We will keep searching with our hands, our fingernails, shovels, hammers – whatever we have. We owe it to our families. This is our pain.”

While authorities report over 5,000 dead, thousands remain missing. Search coordinator Dani Herrera stated that rescue teams saved 280 people alive and recovered 477 bodies. The mission has shifted from rescue to recovery, focusing on retrieving the dead and clearing debris.

The greatest challenge for families is the lack of heavy machinery to safely move large concrete blocks. Many believe faster access to specialized equipment could accelerate recovery. Temporary field offices have been set up where families submit reports and photographs of missing relatives.

For Chino, giving up is not an option. He believes finding his relatives is about restoring dignity. “We want them to be remembered not as numbers on a missing persons list, but as people whose lives mattered,” he said. The search continues, driven by the hope of certainty and closure.

Source: www.aljazeera.com